Friend of Mine
by Tan Kimiko
Summary: [one-shot][KK] Sequel to Ironic Destiny. Married to Shinta (Kenshin) for five years, Kaoru meets up again with Kenta (Battousai) in a Himura family reunion. What questions between the two will be answered after 15 years of no communication?


Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin© is created and owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Sony Entertainment, Shueisha and Jump Comics. I am making this fic for entertainment purposes only.

Author's Notes: Sequel to "Ironic Destiny". Kenta and Kaoru meet again in a Himura family reunion. What answers are revealed when they two talk? One-shot. Set in Kaoru's POV. This one-shot is best read after "Ironic Destiny" or you people could get really confused.

Friend of Mine

-*-

I've known you all my life

You are a friend of mine

I know this is how it's gonna be.

I've loved you then and I love you still

You are a friend of mine

Now I know friends are all we ever could be.

~_Friend of Mine_, Lea Salonga's version

-*-

            "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!" Shinji sang, his little hands holding two Christmas balls. I giggled at my son's singing, hearing how off-tune he was. I took one of the balls and hung it on the tree, carefully putting it so it won't fall down. I was standing on top of a chair, decorating the Christmas tree while Shinji handed me the little ornaments.

            "Ne, Shin-chan, where's the star?" I asked him gently, taking the remaining ball from him. "You know that the tree won't be complete without a star."

            Shinji scampered towards the box and shuffled through them. "I know its here somewhere, kaa-san." His voice was muffled. To my amusement, he hopped into the box and tried to find the star while inside. I went down from the chair and went towards my son, taking him out of the cardboard box and brushing away dirt from his shirt. He was only three years old, and the same red hair as Shinta, with periwinkle eyes.

            "Now, now, Shin-chan, the box is dirty and dusty, and it had already smudged your cheeks!" I told him teasingly, taking a tissue from a box and wiping him. "I don't think the maids would like it if you dirtied the house with your mess, now would they?" I murmured. "Though, your tou-san would certainly be amused with you looking like that." I giggled.

            Shinji had a white shirt on, which had dark stripes of smudges from the dirt on the cardboard. The things inside them were perfectly clean. He frowned, shaking his head. "Tou-san won't like me like this." Shinji whined, pulling his shirt. "I've to go change!" He scampered towards the large staircase, a maid in uniform following him.

            "Take a bath while you're at it, Shin-chan!" I called, hearing his dreary complains of baths. I chuckled, finding the star in the box and trying to put it on top of the tree. I suddenly lost my balance and I tipped backwards, screaming as I fell. I landed on something soft and hard at the same time, which I realized after I regained my senses, was Shinta. He looked a bit dazed, his briefcase on the floor beside us, his dark suit beneath his hand and his white shirt crumpled. His tie was loose and hanging over his neck.

            "Oro…Kaoru…" He managed.

            "Oh, Shinta!" I cried, scrambling away from his chest. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" I asked, worried. "Are you hurt somewhere?"

            Shinta smiled. "Only here." He pointed to his lips. I blinked then managed to pout but gave him a kiss. "That was nice, koishii. Tadaima."

            I sighed at his teases. "Okaeri nasai, Shinta," I greeted him back, kissing him again. "You're early today, anata. Is there something wrong?" I asked, standing and offering my hand for him to help him stand. The Himura family was quite rich, owning a company known worldwide. Here, in the Japan branch, Shinta was the president of the company and managed everything quite well. We were living in a rather large house with several maids and butlers. I never wanted anything more in my life, with a husband and son, who would complain?

            "None, Kaoru. But I received something quite interesting in the mail today." Shinta grinned, pulling a letter from his coat. "Read it." He urged, placing it on my hand.

            I took out a white sheet of stationary, blinking at the familiar small and curved handwriting on the paper. I knew, even after fifteen years had passed, that this writing was from none other than Kenta himself. His writing never changed one bit.

_Shinta,_

_            Kaa-san wants the complete family here in New York. She says she wants to meet the whole lot, which includes her two grandsons. Believe it or not, kaa-san already prepared plans for the Christmas family reunion coming up. She demands that the whole family come on December 25. I've got no worries, since we're living Manhattan. Tomoe is absolutely thrilled that she is to meet kaa-san again. Kenji is seriously excited to meet his cousin._

_            From the letters you sent me, I gathered that you and Kaoru are doing fine, with Shinji. You never did give me any photos of the whole family. For that matter, neither had I. Well, let's call that even. I'm sorry I didn't attend the wedding. Tomoe and I had our hands full taking care of Kenji. We'll see each other on Christmas Day, no doubt, or kaa-san will hound you till the ends of the Earth._

_Kenta._

_P.S. Oh yeah, regards to Kaoru and my nephew._

            I looked up to Shinta, who stared at me impassively. I smiled.

            "Well, we have to be ready now, won't we? We have to buy appropriate wear. It's very cold in New York at this time of the year!" I told him, hugging him. "Don't be nervous, anata. You look very rigid." I teased, poking him on the chest.

            He sighed. "Well, there wasn't enough time for you and kaa-san to know each other much. I do hope she likes you, because it'll save me a lot of hell going through her disappointments."

            "Are you saying that I'm not likable?"

            "No!" Shinta replied. "I think you'll do just fine, but if kaa-san isn't charmed by you, I've to fight her to let her realize that I'm not going to let you go!"

            I giggled, resting my head on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Shinta. I'll make you proud of me. That's sweet of you, fighting your mother just for the sake of letting me stay as your wife."

            "Of course! I don't think I could bear letting you go!"

            I shook my head. "But that's not necessary. I'm going to make your mother proud of you. I won't misbehave." I promised, kissing him on the cheek. "Now," I said, untangling myself from his arms. "Will you help me put this star on top of the tree?" Holding up the star, I raised my eyebrow and gestured to the direction of the tree just behind me. "Or would you rather imitate your son and have a bath?"

            Shinta smiled wickedly. "I'll take the bath anytime, if you're going to be _in_ it with me, darling."

            My eyes widened as Shinta picked me up effortlessly and carried me upstairs. I continued to shriek playfully even until he closed the door of our room behind us.

-*-

            "All passengers for flight 325 bound to New York, please go to gate 3. The plane is now boarding."

            I glanced at my watch. Shinta hasn't arrived yet, and the plane has already started to board. Shinji was holding tightly to my hand, frightened over the strangers that passed him. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and dialed Shinta's cellphone number. After two rings, he picked it up. His voice was strained.

            "Where are you?" I asked. "You're going to miss the plane!" I told him, already going to gate 3.

            "Sorry, Kaoru. There was an emergency meeting. I have to be here. You go on ahead. I'll be taking another plane later in the afternoon." Shinta explained. "Don't worry. Tell Kenta to introduce you to kaa-san and explain to her why I'm not there. She'll understand."

            "Shinta! Introducing me to your mother is supposed to be your job! Kenta isn't my husband, you are!"

            He chuckled. "Well, your husband, fortunately, has a twin brother. He'll introduce you nicely. After all, you and Kenta were classmates before."

            "He's your _married_ twin brother, for heaven's sake!" I told him dryly.

            "Well, that's a small problem. I'm sure Tomoe-san will understand your situation." Shinta teased her.

            I laughed in spite of how he unconsciously made bitter memories arise. "I'm not sure Yukishiro-san would like me to borrow her husband for the day."

            "I'll make a long-distance call and explain to Kenta and let him explain to Tomoe-san. That way, she wouldn't be reluctant to share a bit. She hasn't got anything to be jealous about anyway." Shinta chided. "I'm in a hurry now, since I'm needed. Take care of yourself and Shinji, okay?"

            I sighed. "Okay. I'll see you." I said, pressing the disconnect button. I gazed on the silver phone for a moment before putting it in my pocket. We already started boarding the plane. Shinji got the window seat and was totally excited to see the view, even though the plane was still on the runway. I leaned back on the chair, looking blankly ahead of me without really seeing.

            Shinta made comments that made me remember things in the past concerning Kenta. I thought that I was over it already, since it has been more than a decade since I last saw him. But, in that call, I realized that I still had questions that I wanted to learn the answers. The only person who could really answer it was Kenta.

-*-

            When the plane finally landed on the airport, Shinji was excited to go out. He was so bored in the plane and more than once disturbed other people for the sake of fun. I went to where I was supposed to get our luggage and waited until I finally spotted it and dragged it out of the way. Now that I was here, I had no idea who would pick us up. I was thinking of boards bearing my name before I spotted someone familiar.

            "Kaa-san, I thought tou-san was back home. Why is he here?" Shinji asked beside me, pulling my hand to get my attention. My throat was thick and my lips were dry. At first glance, I really thought it was Shinta, but now, observing him, I knew that it wasn't him. It was Kenta, and he looked the same, except he was more grown-up now. His hair was long like Shinta's, except his was tied in a high ponytail. His eyes were the same liquid gold I remembered.

            "Shin-chan, that isn't tou-san." I whispered as Kenta spotted us and hurried to our direction. "He's your uncle." I added as he stopped in front of us, and his gaze flickered to Shinji.

            "Cute kid. Looks a lot like Kenji." Kenta commented. He looked up to me and smiled slightly. "Hi, Kaoru. Long time no see. How many years has it been? Fifteen?" He asked, taking the two heavy bags and carried them.

            I smiled tightly. "Yes, fifteen years. It has been a long time…Kenta." I said, pulling Shinji along. "I heard that you married Yukishiro-san. I've always wondered where you gathered the courage to admit that you loved her, much less pop the question."

            "Hey, this wasn't what I expected when we meet again." Kenta retorted. "Where did the usual 'hi, how've you been? Did you miss me?' sort of thing."

            I grinned slightly. Things haven't changed. "You should know by now that between you and me, the word _usual_ isn't in our vocabulary." I told him as he opened the car and placed the bags in the trunk. I pushed Shinji into the backseat and clipped on the seatbelt while I sat on the front. "Your admittance and your marriage to Yukishiro-san is one of the mysteries that I want answers to."

            Kenta looked at me. "I think we have a lot to catch up on. I've some questions and confessions I would like to say to you." He whispered.

            Questions? Confessions? I was taken aback by this sudden change. The Kenta I knew in high school never confessed. He would rather keep the answers to himself and never tell anyone. Now, after all this time, he decided to tell me things that he kept for fifteen years. We said nothing after that, the silence between us constantly broken because of Shinji's mild complains and the car radio.

            We arrived at the estate in a short while. I was awed by its size but I knew I shouldn't be. After all, our home back in Japan was one of the biggest in the country. Being the owners of such a large company, it wasn't such a surprise they'd manage to have a large property.

            Kenta drove the car to the front door and I recognized the woman on the front step. Yukishiro-san hadn't changed except maybe she became more beautiful than when we were younger. Her dark hair framed her face, and her hair was tied back in a loose bun. She was wearing a snowy-white dress that stopped an inch below her knee and was wearing flat sandals. She looked tamer than the time when we were in high school. She was a popular girl then and wearing tube tops and low waist pants were a must to uphold her reputation.

            When we stopped, Yukishiro-san went down the steps with a smile on her face and Kenta went out to give her a kiss and a hug. For some reason, it felt like watching Shinta hugging another woman and I had to look away to keep myself from being jealous. This was Kenta, not Shinta. He had every right to hug and kiss Yukishiro-san.

            "Kaoru, come out of there." Kenta said, going to the car and pulling the lever to open the trunk. "Tomoe wants to meet you."

            I did what he asked and opened the passenger door. Yukishiro-san smiled brightly and hugged me tightly. "Kaoru-san, it's so nice to meet you again. We weren't close in high school, but I promise I'm going to make it up to you." She told me. Yukishiro-san changed very much. She wasn't so stuck-up now when we were younger. Her smile was more genuine and the air around her told of maturity.

            "Yukishiro-san," I said weakly. "Ano, I don't know what to call you now, since your last name isn't Yukishiro anymore…"

            She laughed softly. "Call me Tomoe, please. We're practically relatives now." Then, she peered behind me and to the car. "Is that your child?"

            I've forgotten about Shinji! I opened the backseat and took out Shinji, letting him stand in front of me with my hands resting on his shoulders. "Tomoe-san, my son, Himura Shinji. Shin-chan, this is your aunt Tomoe." I said.

            Tomoe-san looked very surprised and pleased at the same time. "He looks exactly like Kenji! I suppose it isn't a surprise, since Shinta is Kenta's twin brother. Their height isn't that big of a difference either. How old is he?" She asked, kneeling down and greeting my son.

            "He's three years old, nearly four." I replied proudly. "And he's already quite a handful."

            "I know the feeling. Kenji's rather quite a rascal himself. My boy is almost six now."

            Kenta stood on the front door with our luggage, looking at us with an eyebrow raised. "Tomoe, let Kaoru in. Continue your little chitchat inside. I think kaa-san would want to meet her now." He said, hefting up the bags. "Follow me, Shinji. I want you to meet your cousin. I think he and you would hit it off."

            Tomoe welcomed me in and I glanced at the inside of the huge mansion. It was a bit bigger than the family mansion back in Japan, and more extravagant. There were vases that could hide a full-grown man and mirrors in golden frames hanging on the walls. Paintings were numerous as well. The floor was made of marble and the walls were painted in pale cream. It felt like going in a castle because of its size.

            She led me till we came upon the kitchen. There were maids and cooks all around, busy making food. But one person struck me from the rest. She was wearing a red blouse with sleeves and plain jeans. There was a flowery apron in her hands and her golden hair was pulled back into a messy bun. When we entered, she turned to look at us, and I saw myself looking into exquisite violet eyes. I knew immediately that this was my mother-in-law.

            "Kaa-san, this is Kaoru. She was our classmate in high school and Shinta's wife." Tomoe-san introduced. "You should see their son! He looks almost like Kenji!"

            Shinta and Kenta's mother looked like she was in her early forties, but I discovered much later that her real age was more in her late fifties. I think I know now where they took after their youthful looks.

            "Hello, dear!" She greeted me, placing the apron down. "I'm sorry we weren't able to attend the wedding, but I think this is the perfect time of the year to get to know each other. I am Janice Himura. Not a Japanese, mind. I'm a pure American."

            I smiled, trying hard not to show my anxiety. "Um, Himura Kaoru, Mrs. Himura. My maiden surname is Kamiya. I, uh, apologize for not trying to contact you and everything. Shinta's coming here a bit later because there was an emergency in the company." I stopped my blabbering. She must think I'm an idiot.

            "No need to call me _Mrs. Himura_. It makes me sound so old, dear, and I don't look like it, don't I?" She said. "Plus, it's so formal. You can call me _kaa-san_ like Tomoe called me. I think it's Japanese for 'mother', isn't it?" Her smile was very kind and I found myself liking her. "Someday, I would like to meet your parents. They aren't here, are they?"

            My smile was frozen on my face. My parents…

            "My mother died when I was young. She was sick and we discovered it too late. My father died in a car accident just six years ago, when he was on a trip from Kyoto." I explained, bitter memories resurfacing yet again. "I'm sorry." I said, controlling my sudden grief at the loss of my father.

            "Oh, I'm the one who's supposed to be sorry, dear. It must hurt, doesn't it?" Mrs. Himura asked. "We'll be your foster parents from now on, so don't hesitate to come to me or to my husband when you're in trouble. Now, why don't you go freshen up? Tomoe can lead you to the room you and Shinta would be sharing. The children will share a room of their own."

            When we went out of the kitchen, Tomoe-san placed a hand on my shoulder. I was surprised at this gesture and looked at her. She was smiling gently at me.

            "I didn't know you lived without your mother. You lost her at such an early age," She whispered. "And you lost your father six years ago. I know how hurtful it is to lose a loved one, much less a parent. You lost two and you still lived on as a normal, happy person."

            I held my breath. "Life goes on."

            Tomoe-san shook her head in awe. "Kaoru-san, when we were in high school, I was so preoccupied with little, shallow things, like my boyfriends, my friends and my reputation. Family and true love were not in the list. I thought you were some immature little girl and totally not worth the popularity. But now, I admit I was wrong." She took both of my hands in hers. "Kaoru-san, I admire you."

            I looked down on our hands then back to her face. I saw the sincerity in her dark eyes and I knew what she was telling me was from the bottom of her heart. The old Tomoe-san was gone and was replaced by this wise woman whom Kenta married and loved. And now I knew that I gave Kenta up to the right woman. There were no more regretful feelings now.

            She led me into a room, which was as big as the one back home. The bed was a king-sized one, four-poster with draperies and warm, comfortable sheets. The whole room was carpeted in gray.

            "This will be your room with Shinta. Your luggage is over there now. Kenta was considerate enough to put them here. The children's room is just down the hall, second door to your right. Now, if you need anything, just ask any of us." Tomoe-san said. She was prepared to go out.

            "Tomoe-san," I called.

            "Yes?"

            I smiled brightly at her. No more regrets. "Thank you."

            She seemed startled then stared kindly at me. "No, thank _you_." And she was gone.

            I sat down on the bed and caressed the sheets unconsciously, looking out the window. Now, the only thing that I needed to do was to speak to Kenta was about our childhood, and his confessions. I wanted answers, and now it seems like I would finally get them.

-*-

            Kenta knocked on the door of the bedroom just before dinner. I called him in, and he looked serious about something. I realized then that it was time for truth. There would be no more secrets now. I resigned myself, dressing in warm clothes to ward of the winter's cold. There were no words exchanged between us while we went down and met up with Tomoe-san in the process.

            "You two look like you're taking a walk," Tomoe-san mused, looking back and forth, up and down on our forms. Suddenly, she smiled knowingly. "Whatever it is, you two better be back for dinner, or kaa-san will both kill you." Her voice was light as she waved us goodbye, reminding us to bring scarves before we went out of the house.

            "Tomoe-san is very concerned for both of us," I murmured, watching the white snow cover the whole ground and the leafless trees. "And, if I read correctly, she seems to know why we're going out of the house."

            Kenta sighed. "Tomoe's wiser now than before. She knows."

            _She knows. She knows that Kenta is going to confide in me, and she isn't jealous…not one bit._ Again, silence ensued and I could only hear the crunching of snow beneath my feet. Kenta led us to the park, where there were not much people. We sat side by side on a bench, watching the few people who were in it with us.

            "As I said, it's time I told you things which I never dared to tell you when we were younger. I'll hold off my questions for you, but afterwards, you need to answer to my questions." Kenta began. I didn't answer and let him speak. He knew I would do what he asked of me. "You remember, when we were in sophomore year, we were seatmates in class. We talked even if the teacher taught us lessons, and every time got reprimanded because of it. You know, at that time, I started to have feelings for you."

            I gasped and stared at Kenta's face. He was still looking at the view in front of him.

            "It was strange. You've been a bus mate ever since we were little. You've been my classmate since elementary. Why were there suddenly intense feelings for you? Why was I concerned for you? I didn't know and understand. You know me—I never let my emotions show, so it's no surprise that you didn't know I loved you before. I remember one time, when I was in a foul mood, you gently asked me why. I snapped at you, pushed you away, and you were furious with me because of it. You didn't even speak with me for days."

            That got me. I remembered that time. I asked him, and all I got was an angry 'leave me alone!' sentence. I shouted at him because of that, reprimanding him for not controlling his temper and venting it out on people like me. I didn't dare speak to him for days because of two reasons: one was because I was angry with him; two was because I was scared to infuriate him more.

            "I was so hurt and guilty of what I did to you. I couldn't say sorry; you know I can't express myself that easily. I certainly couldn't bring you _real _flowers as an apology, because our classmates would get suspicious and might tease us. So I settled for the next best thing."

            My eyes widened at what he did back then. "That was the reason why you took a paper flower on the bulletin board beside you, didn't you? Because you couldn't apologize to me, and you couldn't give me flowers as a gesture. You said it yourself—you settled for the next best thing. You took one of those flowers our adviser made from felt paper and gave it to me."

            He nodded. "When you told me to put it back, I hurt. It was near to rejection."

            "I told you to put it back because the teacher warned us, on the first day of school, that we weren't suppose to touch anything on that bulletin board. I was afraid you'd get reprimanded and get detention because of me. Truthfully, I felt warm inside then. I was so happy you gave me such a thing. I dreamt it was near to a bouquet of flowers." I told him. "I was so happy."

            Kenta smiled. "Then, one day, when I fought with Misao, you scolded me heavily for it and commanded me to apologize to her. That was the first time I truly and genuinely said sorry to a person. You made me respect you, because you were able to handle me. I learned to respect the woman I loved since then."

            "I blew it, didn't I?" I asked sadly. "I made you lose your love for me."

            A moment's pause, then, "Not really. Even now, though I married Tomoe, I still harbor feelings for you. They're not strong like before, but enough to respect you still. You know I don't care for women. The other female I respected as much as you is Tomoe."

            "But it isn't enough for you to love me, isn't it?"

            He ignored the question. "You remember the day I gave you a quarter?"

            I nodded. "I couldn't understand why you'd give me a coin for luck."

            "I meant to give you my heart. It's a symbolic thing. You tried to give it back. Again, it was like rejection." Kenta whispered, closing his eyes.

            Somehow, I could feel my throat dry. It felt like I was ready to cry. "I still kept your coin. I have it in my wallet, wrapped in a piece of tissue. I couldn't bear to spend it. It was like your last token to me. You were never easy to understand."

            "If only I knew then I wouldn't try and forget the love I had for you. I closed my mind to it, so I wouldn't feel pain. Love was such a complicated thing." Kenta said. "When we shuffled seats, you ended up on my right…and Tomoe on my left."

            I smiled bitterly. "You flirted with her. You forgot me."

            "I did flirt with her to try and take my mind off you. But, her smile healed my wounds and I learned to love her, little by little. With you I loved wholeheartedly. It came so fast. With Tomoe, it came slowly, growing as time passed and I learned what good qualities she had." Kenta explained. "I was so afraid to love her because I might experience pain again. That's the reason why I could admit that I loved her, to you or to me. When I met Tomoe again after we graduated, I still loved her and grew to love her more because of the change in her personality. I realized that it was my chance, and if I didn't admit my love to her now, I would lose her forever."

            This time, I couldn't contain my tears. "That's why you got the courage. Kenta, even though you didn't know, I've always loved you since freshman year. It just grew during sophomore year. I pined for you during junior and senior year, but you had your sights for Tomoe-san."

            Kenta glanced at me and saw my tears. He wiped them away with his gloved hand and pulled me to him in a friendly, comforting hug. "I'm sorry, Kaoru. Just let it all out. Although I can't love you anymore, that love that I had for you when we were younger didn't die—it just faded to friendship. You are _my_ best friend." He said and kissed me on my forehead. There was warmth and care, but there was no passionate love.

            I broke down in his arms and cried.

-*-

            After a while, when my eyes were dry and my crying stopped Kenta asked his questions, just like he said he would.

            "When you met Shinta, did you think it was me?" He asked.

            I giggled. "Yes. I even called him as 'Kenta' before he introduced himself as Shinta. I was so horribly embarrassed by it."

            "Did you marry him because he looks like me?"

            I looked at the children playing, tossing snowballs to each other. "No. I really love Shinta, and I won't exchange him with anyone else."

            "Even me?"

            I thought for a while then smiled. "Even you."

            Kenta chuckled. "That's good. I thought you married him because he reminds you of me. I don't have to worry about him anymore. It seems like he married a perfect woman. You do love him, don't you?"

            I sighed. "I think I answered that question already. Yes, I love him. More than he ever knows." I told him, crossing my hands over my chest. "And if you ask me that one more time, I swear I'm going to leave you here."

            "Do you still have feelings for me?" Kenta asked.

            "A little. It's very slight and not enough to even make me kiss you _passionately_. Maybe just a friendly kiss on the forehead…" I pressed my finger on the said part. "Just like yours, it faded and healed over time, and all I wanted from you now is your friendship. As they say, you could never forget your first love. You would make a perfect guy friend, you know?" I replied, grinning. "When we were younger, I had very few friends who were male. You would add perfectly."

            Kenta smiled. "I'm glad this is all cleared up between us. Somehow, I think we're both idiots to wait this long." He added thoughtfully, earning a light smack on his arm just for that. "What?"

            "You're the idiotic one. I'm not going to settle myself to be stupid." I told him mockingly.

            "Ah, and she says she isn't."

            "Stop that!"

            I glared playfully at him before I heard my watch beep. I glanced at the time and gasped. "Oh my gosh! It's past dinnertime! Tomoe-san and your mother will kill us!" I whispered urgently, brushing away the snow on my hair and shoulders. "Come on, hurry!" I urged him as he wound the scarf around his neck tightly.

            "Coming, coming!" Kenta cried. We broke into a run.

-*-

            "Where have you two been?" Tomoe-san scolded us. "Do you know what time it is? You two got me worried and I didn't even know where you were! Both of you left your cellphones here."

            Kenta chuckled. "We were back in time, weren't we?" He said, helping me slide the coat off and placed it in one of the maid's hands. "So, what's for dinner?" He asked, putting one arm around Tomoe's shoulders and steered her away.

            I watched them, smiling in amusement before I felt arms around me. They were comfortable, warm arms. Familiar arms.

            "Shinta!" I cried, turning around and hugged my husband. He laughed and hugged me back, kissing me on the lips that I felt to my toes. "You're here!"

            "Aa." He answered simply, letting me go but left one hand around my waist and leading me to the dining room. "The meeting was dismissed early today. Whatever problems we encountered were resolved. I knew it was wise to hire Shinomori Aoshi and Sagara Sanosuke into the company." Shinta grinned. "I took a plane after yours and arrived here. You weren't home. Tomoe-san told me you were out with Kenta."

            I nodded. "Yeah. He hasn't changed a bit, except maybe he's more expressive of his thoughts, and much, much confident." I added as an afterthought.

            Shinta looked at me. "You're more lively today. Like a great burden was taken from you. Are you okay?" He whispered.

            "I'm fine," I assured him, taking his hand. "I've finally found the answers to questions I've been harboring ever since I was young. I'm happy now." I said, touching his cheek. "I'm happy with you."

            He squeezed my hand. "I'm glad. Now, let's go and have dinner. I'm starved." Shinta chuckled, pulling me to the dining room.

-*-

            Kenji was a carbon copy of Kenta, except that the child's hair was a bit darker. His son inherited Kenta's amber eyes and was already a heartbreaker at his early age. Kenji and Shinji were like Kenta and Shinta, only they were cousins, not brothers, thought they could easily be mistaken as one. And both were exceptionally fast physically and mentally. They were smart for their age.

            Shinta and I were sitting on the couch, warm and comfortable in each other's embrace. I saw Mrs. Himura whisper something to both of them and they grinned mischievously before they sprinted upstairs. That was very suspicious and I told what I saw to Shinta. He just shrugged and chuckled and I was rewarded with a kiss.

            Much later, Tomoe-san glanced something over us and laughed. Both Shinta and I looked up and saw the two children kneeling by the rail of the stairwell and holding a mistletoe. Mr. Himura chuckled and looked at Mrs. Himura knowingly. Kenta nodded with a grin, winking and giving a thumbs-up sign at me.

            "They planned this, didn't they?" I whispered.

            "Yeah, they did. I think tou-san and kaa-san wanted some entertainment." Shinta replied and pulled me in for a kiss.

            It was some kiss! I heard Kenta and Tomoe laughing in the background and the children giggling, but I hardly paid attention. Shinta's kiss took all my attention away from the other people around us, just like he always do. I knew, within my heart, that Shinta was the only man for me. And that thought kept me happy for the rest of our lives.

~Owari

Author's Notes: As many of the reviewers suggested, I continued with "Ironic Destiny" and ended the year with this fic. This will be the last story/chapter posted for year 2003, and I'm proud of this. For now, it will be left unedited to hurry my deadline to post it before Christmas ends. You guys could point out some errors for me before I post the edited version, which I don't know when. Maybe just after the New Year or much later than that.

I don't know when I'll ever start to write chapter 7 of "Mirror". Certainly not this year, probably not even this Christmas break. I'm having a hard time getting my imagination going and I think I'll probably force myself again to start it up.

Read and review. Comments, questions and constructive criticisms are welcome. My e-mail is els_kaoru@yahoo.com.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!


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